


Careful

by EntreNous



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Biting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-06
Updated: 2012-03-06
Packaged: 2017-12-16 11:17:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/861388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EntreNous/pseuds/EntreNous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All his life, Remus has been so careful. Only a reckless young man like Ron could possibly make him change his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Careful

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Daily Deviant's February 2012 theme of biting. Thank you to allyndra for her thoughtful prompt that led to the creation of this story.

"That reckless, reckless boy," Molly muttered as she threw the dough on the counter to turn and knead.

"You can't mean Teddy," Remus laughed, gesturing at his son, who lay peacefully asleep next to Fleur in the cot Molly had stashed in the kitchen corner. "He can hardly be reckless dozing away."

"No, of course not," Molly sighed. She swiped a hand across her brow, trailing flour along her skin. "It's Ron. He's gone and ended things with Hermione Granger."

"Maybe it's temporary," Remus suggested. He swallowed the last bit of tea she'd poured him when he'd arrived after work to pick up Teddy, and settled the cup onto its saucer. "They're young, after all; quick to argue, quick to make up. No doubt it's just a spat --"

"Not likely," she grumbled. "A month now since they split, and he's only just confessed it to me! Says it's for the best, and then refuses to tell me anything else. And now he tells me she's gone off to university where she'll no doubt meet someone else, and he's turned down the Auror program's acceptance of him, and --" She let the rising bread fall with a thud and turned pleading eyes on Remus. "It's just we worry so about him finding his way. And he absolutely refuses to listen to Arthur or me."

"I'd be happy to talk to him," Remus promised her in answer to the unasked question as he stood to heft Teddy to his shoulder. Really, with all the Weasleys had done for him, it was the least he could do. Besides, Ron, with his ready enthusiasm, engaging humor and even his volatile temper, had always been a favorite of Remus's.

* * *

Though Remus wasn't certain precisely what he would say to Ron Weasley when he got him alone, he knew well enough just why he found Ron's recklessness endearing rather than a fault to criticize. From the time he'd met Ron as a boy, through the years watching him grow into a startlingly handsome young man, he'd found those quick grins and obstinate scowls charming. Though Remus knew he was friendly enough, Ron with his unguarded emotions and quickness to declare his feelings and friendship seemed the very antithesis of Remus's own watchfully cultivated cautious nature.

Was it any wonder, really, that Remus's own school years had been characterized by wariness and vigilance? When Remus's mother had kissed him goodbye that moment before he'd first boarded the Hogwarts Express, she'd clutched his arm and murmured in his ear, "Careful."

Careful not to let anyone at school know about what he became at every full moon -- he well understood that already, even at age eleven. It had been like the stories other children were read before bedtime, the nightly iteration of how no one was to know, no one must find out. He'd learned the craft of keeping the smallest details related to his curse secret at a very young age.

Careful of himself, of the scratches and claw marks that already marred his young body -- though he understood his mother's despair at keeping him safe that way, he could not help the rips and cuts he gave himself as he shifted into wolf form.

Sometimes, particularly before trips home for holidays, he wore mittens when he trudged out to the Whomping Willow and down the tunnel into the Shrieking Shack. He'd hoped to spare his family further evidence of what his monstrous half did to himself by keeping his hands covered. But the fibers always ripped at once when he transformed, leaving him with scattered clumps of the worsted wool his mother had so painstakingly worked to keep his hands warm.

Careful of his friends, obviously -- he'd realized the full import of that at the first moment the others told him they'd managed their Animagus transformations. A frisson of hope sent a chill up his neck, a spike of fear stabbed at his chest; however would he go on if something went wrong with their plan to keep him company? But they'd been careful, James swore, took such care with the instructions and process that nothing bad could come of it. "You'll never hurt us," James had predicted confidently.

What a relief when it all went on as James said -- he'd hurt none of them, even as they ran and tussled together those many nights. And it had lightened his step every day thereafter, to know he was no longer so terribly alone, that he needn't hold back his secret, himself, from his mates.

Still, with everyone else outside his immediate circle, Remus knew he had always to be careful.

* * *

After several weeks of trying to arrange time in his schedule to reach out to and speak to Ron, Remus found a perfect opportunity arose when Harry and Ginny decided to host an enormous party at Grimmauld Place. Flush with pride at their recent renovations, and with cheerful acceptance of the second-hand furniture relatives and friends had foisted upon them, the young couple wanted to show off their new home to a large crowd.

Harry named some of the guests to Remus when they met for lunch in the Ministry canteen, after Remus politely inquired who might attend. In the middle of the lengthy recitation, however, Remus had cut him off with a laugh and some private alarm at how crowded such a number would make even Grimmauld Place's large halls.

"And Ron will be there," Harry had added, meeting Remus's eyes.

"Ah. That's good." It hadn't occurred to Remus Harry might know of Molly's plans, but perhaps that was part of the reason Harry had urged Remus to join the party Ron would attend, to facilitate their talk.

"He's asked after you," Harry blurted out. His cheeks flushed slightly as he searched Remus's expression. "Ron has, I mean. I think he'd like to speak to you, if you can come."

If it hadn't been for the buzz of conversation around them from Ministry workers, many of whom knew the Weasleys and Remus, Remus would have pressed Harry on how much he knew about the matter. Instead he nodded and replied, "I'll look forward to seeing him."

Without his promise to first Molly and then Harry, Remus likely wouldn't have attended, instead making his excuses and finding a Sunday on which to invite them for tea. But remembering Molly's worry over Ron, he sighed and arranged for a very pleased Andromeda to take Teddy for the night.

"I'm so glad you asked. Really, you could leave him here any night you choose," Andromeda murmured into the fuzz of hair on Teddy's head as the baby stretched and yawned.

"I hope you don't mean all of the nights," Remus said with an uneasy laugh. The idea that Andromeda might one day sue for and win custody of his son occasionally still haunted him.

She looked stricken at the implication. "Of course not! I know Teddy's main home is with you. I only meant, you'll want to get out regularly now that some time has passed and things have settled. After all, you're a young man --"

While he laughed at that, she tsked. "A young man," she insisted, "and your life is far from over. You ought to meet friends more, perhaps even meet someone new."

At once his laughter died. "There's no one for me."

"Dora wouldn't have wanted --"

"It's not only that," Remus cut her off, turning away and clearing his throat.

Behind him, Teddy fussed, and he heard Andromeda croon as she expertly quieted him. "It's never too late for that, truly."

"It's just -- with a child, with this new position I've gained -- and what I _am_ , you understand -- of course I have to be careful."

She frowned, rubbing Teddy's back to soothe him. "Sometimes there's such a thing as being too careful, Remus."

* * *

Remus doubted he could ever be too careful, given the harm he might do to others if he ever relaxed his guard.

That brief respite Remus experienced in late childhood, the relief at having friends who knew what he was and yet somehow remained safe from the worst of him, of course was destined to end. The terrible events that took away his best friends those years after school, yes, that blow felled his last hopes for companionship. But well before that, he'd sensed a gradual isolation waiting for him, as during those last years at Hogwarts he watched schoolmates and friends pair off with little thought of consequences.

Perhaps, that day on the platform before Remus departed for his first year at school, his mother hadn't been thinking what worries he'd face as he made the change from boy to man. But the extreme care he realized he must take with others turned his adolescence into a hell and destroyed most of his opportunities for romance. All he could think about were consequences. There was no way he could let himself touch anyone with open passion and full abandonment. For how could he guarantee that there would be no slip -- a scratch of a kiss, an open-mouthed press of lips to shoulder or neck, a fervid scrape of teeth against skin? Who knew what he might do to someone who got _really_ close to him?

"Was it that bad?" the first girl he kissed asked in surprise as he jerked away from her. He couldn't bear what might happen if he'd held her too long; the feeble excuses he offered ended the thing before it began.

"Why do you jump every time?" the Gryffindor prefect the year ahead of him asked in irritation as Remus took a quick step back from their embrace. The other boy had thought him scared to admit to their relationship to others; Remus had only felt frightened at what he might do if it continued.

"Do you even like it?" the dark-haired Ravenclaw boy he'd grappled with in the dark stacks of the library asked him doubtfully as Remus held him at arm's length. Remus hadn't wanted to put him off; it was only that when his heart beat so fast, and the flush on his face spread down his body to heat him so quickly, he knew he had no option but to rein in his urges.

As the years went on, and he gained more confidence in his abilities to hold back, he'd taken lovers here and there. But the hesitation, the pulling away, the inordinate _care_ he took eventually unraveled every relationship.

Yet still, _careful, careful_ went the murmur in his head. The words formed a steady drone all through his relationship with Dora, so much that it became a comforting companion, a guide through all the tumult that came of a man like him committing himself to someone else. Dora's impetuousness, her rash determination and her constant clumsiness made him feel oddly grateful. He could act with deliberation and hesitation, working in counterpoint to her more brash nature, filling the role of the sensible partner who held chaos at bay.

For her part, she had been so moved by the risks he'd weighed to be with her that she'd tried to be ever so careful with him return. Every sexual encounter between them took place with a slowness and deliberation that assured Remus no wrong would occur. But at the same time their mutual caution and diligence left him hollow with the constant reminder of the prudence he felt obliged to employ.

Perhaps the contrivances of their physical relationship had pushed them to folly in other areas. Lord knew neither of them had taken enough care in that last battle with the Death Eaters: both of them rushing to the fight, she following his terrible example. When the dust finally settled and he saw her still body laid out, he blamed himself for not filling the role he'd undertaken. If he'd only held back, if he'd only held her back in turn. Here was the proof positive he'd avoided throughout his youth: when he actually gave his impulses free rein and let his passions rule, destruction followed.

* * *

When Remus arrived at Grimmauld Place (the goal of speaking to Ron as soon as possible so he could depart from the gathering all the sooner firmly resolved in his mind) Harry and Ginny's party was in full swing.

Guests crowded every room and corridor, and as Remus tried to make his way through the throng it seemed as though at every step a friend or former student recognized and exclaimed over him, pulled him close to talk. Thank god it was well past the time people felt they had to offer sympathies; the questions about Teddy and his new work in Werewolf Support Services at the Ministry were far easier to field.

With all of the commotion and conversation, it wasn't until hours later that the crowd had finally thinned to a handful of witches and wizards, and Remus finally spotted Ron.

"Remus," Ron greeted him rather more enthusiastically than Remus expected. His blue eyes skimmed over Remus, as though making certain it really was him. "Harry said you might not come. But you're here." He shifted on his feet, seeming unsure whether to shake hands before settling at last for clapping Remus on the shoulder.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't have missed it," Remus assured him. Behind them, the Floo again flared to life as yet another couple left Grimmauld Place. The mention of his host reminded him he hadn't offered thanks for the festivities. "Er, where is Harry, now that you mention him? I spotted him when I arrived, but after that --"

Ron shrugged, and as he leaned against the wall, Remus distractedly noticed Ron was now half a head taller than him. "Gone upstairs to sleep already, him and Ginny both."

Remus laughed. "Rather casual, isn't it, leaving the house to their guests?"

"They're probably knackered from setting all this up. Besides, they can hardly worry about heading to bed when it's just us," Ron pointed out.

Remus looked around, and to be sure, it was only now Ron and himself who remained.

"Well, I'm glad we're able to speak in private," Remus told him, gesturing to the nearby couch where they both were soon settled.

"Yeah?" Ron shot him a sideways look that appeared oddly hopeful given the circumstances. "I wanted to speak to you as well, 'specially as I haven't had the chance to meet with you lately."

"Good, that's good," Remus hastened to add, ready to move the conversation along. He'd be able to acquit himself of his duty to Molly even faster given how keen Ron seemed to talk to him. And the sooner the better, Remus reflected as Ron ran a hand through his red hair and swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing along that sinewy freckled throat. The Weasley boys had all grown to be very handsome men, Ron particularly with his tall, slim frame and appealing manner. Much as Remus was determined to follow through on his promise to talk to Ron on behalf of his parents, the less time Remus spent in his distracting company, the better.

"I heard some news about you and Hermione," he began gently.

"Oh, that?" Ron exhaled. Rather than shying away from the subject, he seemed relieved at Remus's introduction of the topic. "It has been a while since you and I have spoken, then, hasn't it? A few months back it ended. But it was a while coming; we both thought so."

Remus sat back, genuinely bewildered. "Is that so? You seemed to fancy each other so much. I thought the two of you were bound to end up married, like Harry and Ginny. Did your feelings about her change so quickly?"

Ron snorted. "My feelings about Hermione haven't changed a bit. She's clever and beautiful and ambitious, and she'll make a brilliant wife for someone who isn't me. It's me that changed -- or, at least, I finally faced up to how I'd been all along." He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression rueful. "I'm only sorry I kept her from moving on any faster."

"I don't think I understand." Perhaps it was the wine (he'd unwisely taken several glasses), but Remus couldn't follow the thread of Ron's conversation.

Ron crossed his arms across his chest, and then uncrossed them, his fingers twitching at his sides. "Harry said you'd been with a few blokes over the years," he said abruptly.

"What?" Remus realized he was gaping, and pressed his lips together for a moment. "Well, yes, that's true. But I don't see what that has to do with --"

Before Remus could finish, Ron had cradled his face in his large warm hands and drawn their mouths together in a kiss.

He ought to have drawn back at once, to have interrupted this unexpected contact and returned steadily to his original purpose in meeting Ron that night. Remus wasn't seeking any romantic entanglements, never mind the sheer folly of a spontaneous incident with a man half his age he'd actually taught only years before.

But Ron kissed him so hungrily, sliding one hand to cup the back of Remus's neck, the other to press the small of his back and bring them closer, that Remus surrendered before he could think any further.

They'd slid into a partial recline, Ron half-covering him with a leg thrust between Remus's, when Remus felt it: the scrape of Ron's teeth against his neck.

"No, you shouldn't," he said quickly, sitting up immediately. The contact had immediately called to mind every impulse of his own he needed to guard. "We can't," he added firmly when Ron made as if to kiss him again. "You're not thinking this through."

"What? Why not?" Ron looked gratifyingly rumpled and dazed, and Remus had to avert his eyes in order to keep his head clear. "It's not because -- I mean, I'm gay, in case that wasn't already completely obvious by now." Ron gave a nervous laugh. "I'd worked it out a while ago, so don't think this is, I don't know, some experiment. And I really fancy you; have done for a while now, but I just wasn't sure how to ask you out, or start things between us. So it's not like I'm trying for a one-off."

"No, it's not that, though I'll admit this is a surprise, especially after you and Hermione --"

"Look, Hermione and I agreed, and we'd worked things out between us months ago."

"That's not exactly it, either."

"Then what is it?"

Remus went for the easiest answer first. "To start with, I'm twice your age."

"I don't care about that," Ron answered, his voice hoarse. He reached out and covered Remus's shaking hand with his own steady one.

"You can't imagine being with someone like me would be easy," Remus burst out.

"Someone like --" Ron's eyes widened. "You don't mean the, well, you know." He made an odd face and gesture after his vague reference, and if Remus hadn't been so set on clarifying the situation he would have laughed aloud at Ron trying to suggest a wolfish guise with his face and hands.

"That's precisely what I mean," Remus said quietly. "If I were to forget myself in a moment of passion, if I let my teeth slip, mistakenly bit you -- I would never forgive myself. So it could never work, you see; it's better not even to try."

"That won't happen." Ron looked resolute.

"How can you know that?" Remus shook his head. His initial and pressing mission, of speaking to Ron about the direction his life was taking, seemed a distant memory indeed as he tried to summon an explanation of why they could never become involved romantically.

"I'll watch out for it," Ron offered.

Remus pressed a hand to his forehead. "I'm afraid that's not enough."

"Look," Ron said urgently. "I reckon it's something you've thought about, probably thought about way too much. You're so worried about that situation; I can't imagine it'd be a mistake you'd make so easily. In fact, I bet you can't name even one time it's happened with a girl or a bloke you were with, can you?"

Remus found himself gaping for the second time that night. "I -- all the same -- I could never be so reckless as to --"

"So you won't do it, is all," Ron answered reasonably. His blue eyes were clear and guileless as he watched Remus. Then suddenly a light of mischief sprang into them. "'Course, there's nothing that says you can't have it done to you."

Remus hadn't a moment to ask what he meant before Ron surged forward again, determination written on his features. And he hadn't the presence of mind to ask what he meant when Ron deliberately mouthed along Remus's neck, and then bit lightly along the muscle joining to his right shoulder.

Remus gasped, tilting his head back without thinking. In all the time he'd allowed himself occasional sexual encounters, even in his indulgence of marriage to Dora, he'd never thought to ask for or allow someone to bite him. All his fears had focused so tightly on himself getting carried away, that he'd not stopped to consider the urge in any of his partners.

There was nothing, in all that had been written about werewolves, to suggest a problem if a partner playfully bit him. He couldn't imagine Ron the type to take things too far and actually draw blood; beyond such a scenario, there really was very little danger, as long as Ron was the one who was --

"Oh," Remus moaned as Ron pressed him back, covering his body a moment after by stretching out on top of him.

"I can't tell you how long I've wanted to --" Ron licked a stripe up his neck before pressing their mouths together once more.

All of Remus's objections fell away, feeble things that they now seemed in light of Ron rubbing his warm hands over his bared chest and soon after moving down to nuzzle his straining cock through the fabric of his trousers.

"I meant to ask you out properly tonight," Ron confessed as they realigned their bodies and began to move faster together, no longer attempting to shrug off every last article of clothing in the heat of the moment.

"We'll plan something, restaurant, flowers," Remus gritted out as Ron's erection pressed hot and thick against his own. "Just don't stop --"

"You feel so good," Ron got out before he stiffened and jerked against Remus.

Remus never would have planned any of what had happened with him and Ron that night. But the rush and mess of it, the heavy weight of Ron lying sweaty and panting above him, the hands running soothing caresses over his arms as they slumped against each other, sent curls of pleasure through him even after the last spasm of his orgasm had worked through him.

They shifted slightly, Remus collapsed on his back, Ron leaning his cheek against Remus's chest while they caught their breath.

"Careful," Remus managed to whisper as Ron turned and slowly drew his teeth over his collarbone, making Remus's skin prickle and heat.

"You'll be careful enough for both of us," Ron muttered, licking the skin that had already reddened. He shifted up, grinning when he saw Remus smiling at him. "I'll just go ahead and be reckless enough for both of us."


End file.
